Fluid-treating apparatus.



J. R. HICKOX & w, Al POWNALL.

FLUID TREATING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 18, 1908.

Patented Dec. 31, 1912.

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JAY" RUSSELL HICKOX, OF ALLIANCE, NEBRASKA, AND WILLIAM A. POWNALL, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS.

FLUID-TREATING APPARATUS.

Patented Dec. 31, 1912 Application filed August 18 1908. Serial No. 449.012.

In the purification of Water and other" fluids, it frequently is desirable and, nec-- essary to treat them with a reagent for the purpose of counteracting or causing to set tle an impurity carried by the water, either in, solution or suspension.

1 Our invention relates to an apparatus for automatically introducing a treating substance into the fluid to be treated.

More particularly our invention relates to apparatus for introducing a suitable reagent into hard, muddy or otherwise impure waters to fit them for use in steam forming part of this specification, ,hereafter describe in detail, a specific sin-- boilers. For waters in which much foreign matter is carried in suspension, ordinary lime, if introduced in proper quantities, in solution, is frequently found to give satisfactory results, or for softening hard waters,

soda ashor barium hydrate may be found desirable. Our apparatus may be used to lIltroduce either of these or any other suitable reagent, depending upon the nature of the impurity to be removed.

For the purpose of illustration and expianation,

and will bodiment of our invention designed as a treating plant for a locomotive water station, but it is obvious that ourinvention is capable of a great-variety of modifications, and may be put to other uses.

Inthe accompanying drawings, Figure 1, is an elevatlon of an apparatus embodying our nvention, and Fig. 2 1s a transverse section on line IIII- of Fig. l.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 1 is a main pipe coming from a reservoir or other source of supply and discharging into a set tlin tower 2.

3 is the receptacle for holding me lime or other treating material: A branch pipe 4t islled from the main pipe to one part or the treating tank 3, a return pipe 5 lead- Iwe have shown in the drawing ing from another art of the tank back into the main pipe. A by-p'ass is thus formed, through which a part of main supply is diverted, caused to dissolve and takeup a portion of the treating substance, and carry it back into the main channel where it at once thoroughly comminglcs with the main body of the strealn. The .water is thus made to automatically treat itself with the reagent without the use of any external force and without waste. In order to force a sufiicicnt quantityof the water through the by-pass, and to'ca'usc;

it to overcome the resistance topci'fcolaeh tion through the treating'material, we pro- .vide in 'the main pipe between the inlet to pipe 4 and outlet to pipe 5, a constriction which produces a difference ofpressurc in the portions of the main on the two sides thereof as soon as the fluid begins to flow. Thus the pressure in main pipe at the out let to pipe 5 becomes less than that at the inlet to pipe 4 and the necessary motive force is supplied to overcome theobstacle in the path of the by-passed fluid. We prefer to make this constriction by inserting between two sections of pipe, a perforated diaphragm or asket 6 shown in section in Fig. 1 and in p an in Fig. 2, the erforation 7 being formed of such area re ative to the size of thcpipe as is found to roduce 'sufiicicnt drop in pressure to result in asatis factory flow through theby-pass. In the construction shown the as] et is a thin sheet of -m'etal, preferably copper, bolted by bolts 8 between the flanges 9, which are "screwed'to the ends of the pipe sections. In

the inlet'pipe 4, we preferably provide cut off valves 10 and Hand a gasket or diaphragm 12 pierced with a perforation 13 of a size to' permit the desired quantity'of water to flow through the treating tank. In order to permit free flowof water into. the treating tankwhile starting, a by-passis preferably provided around the gasket. A cut off valve 15'servesto close the bypass 14 and forcethe water through the perforation 13 in the regulating gasket, when the apparatus is in operation. The water preferably enters the treating'tank at its 'lowcr'end, and is discharged through a spray head 16. A pipe 17' normally closed by a valve 18 serves to drain the treating tank prior to recharging. The outlet pipe 5 preferably leads from the top of the treating tank, and'is provided witha valve 19. Connected with this pipe, or directly with the upper partof the treating tank, is a pipe 20 provided-with a valve or faucet 21. This pipe provides an outlet for the air when filling the treating tank, and by the flow of water from the faucet, shows when the treating tank is full.

For slaking the lime used to charge the treating tank, we preferably provide a slak,

ing vat 22 placed at a higher level than that of the treating tank, and connected therewith by means of a pipe 23 which may v be closed by a valve 24:.

From the uppenpart of the settling tower the clear water is drawn into the supply tank 35 through the pipe 36 frornwhich it is delivered to the locomotives. The sediment is removed from time to time from the lower part of the tower through the sludge valve 25. The flow of water to the 'supply tank is preferably regulated automatically in such a way as to keep the water in the tank at a substantially constant level. This may be conveniently done by placing in the main 1 an automatic valve 26. In the form shown in the drawings, a spring 27 tends to keep the valve normally off its.

is provided for thispurpose. Inthemain 1 are preferably provided a manually operated gate 32 and a meter 33.

We prefer to make the treating tank with a conical or convex bottom 34, introducing the water at the lowest point or apex thereof as this produces a better dlstribution and facilitates mixing.

The operation of the. apparatus 1s as .follows: Gate 32 and valves 10, 15, 18 and 19 being closed, lime or other treating substance is .put into vat 22 and slaked by water. from pipe 31 if slaking is necessary. Valve 2lis then opened and tank 3 charged with a suitable quantity of the treating z' a ent, the valve 21 be left Open to mit escape of air. Valve 24 is then closed,

valve 15 opened and water permitted to enter tank 3 till it overflows at valve or faucet 21 showing that the tank is full. Valves 15 and 21 are then closed and valves 10 and 19 opened. After allowing sufiicient time to elapse for the lime in. the treating tank to settle, the apparatus is put into operation by opening the gate 32. When. the water begins to flow through mam 1, a drop in pressure immediately occurs beyond the gasket 6 with the result-thata some of the water is shunted through pipes. and spray The pressure is head 16, and, passing through the substance in tank 3, dissolves some thereof, and carries it through pipe 5 back into the main.

The treated water discharged into the lower part of tower 2 rises slowly therethrough,

leaving all hand and impurities behind, and

flowing clear from the upper part. of the tower to the supply tank 35. When the tank" overcomes the tension" of; spring 27 and closes valve 26 unt1l water is drawn from '35 is full, the pressure on diaphragm 28 the supply tank causing the pressure to fall again.

It willbe seen that the operation of mix ing as carried out by our apparatus is continuous throughout the time of flow and all water passing to the settling tower is thoroughly mixed with the treating agent in a predetermined proportion before entering the tower. Also by reason of the admission of the fluid at the bottom of the treatifig chamber and its outletat the top, none of the reagent finds its way into the main by gravity but only as it is carried therein by the by-passed fluid. Much greater uniformity of the mixture is thus obtained than if quantities of the reagentare injected into the tower at intervals and left to mix as.

they may with the contents thereof.

It is desirable to place valve 26 either be-- yond the point of discharge of pipe 5'into the main, as shown, or to have it in advance of pipe l, in order that" its operation may not disturb the -pressure ratio between the main and by-pass and afl'ect the proportion of the-treating agent introduced, Gate 32 should in like manner not be placed between the inlet and the outlet of the by-pass. We find the use of gaskets to cause the drop of pressure in the main pipe and to regulate the flow through the pipe at most satisfactory, as they determine these most important factors in the. operation of the apparatus, positively, and leave.

no chance for an ignorant or careless operator to make a mistake, as might occur if the regulation of the'flow by the adjustment of valves were left to him. Withal, if at any time a change should become necessary, a

gasket having a different sized orifice could v be cheaply made and readily put in place.

Having thus described our invention we claim:

1. In. fluid treating, apparatus, a main through which the fluid to be treated passes as a continuous, uni-directional current, and means for gradually and continuously introducing a treating agent into the fluid passing through said main, in quantities definitely proportionedto the amount of fluid passing through said main, said meanscomprising a tank for the treating agent having a conoidal bottom, a pipe leadingy from the main to said tank, a spray headlocated at the apex of said bottom throughj 'l j V which said pipe discharges, an outlet pipe v the inlet leading frc'm the tbp of said tank'and diseharginginto said main at a point farther along the same in the direction of the flow of thefluid than the point of connection of ipe; the cross-sectional area of said main eing reduced ata point between the inlet and outlet pipes.

2. In fluid treating a 'wparatus',- coinbi-' nation, a main for the fluid to be treated, a

rece tacle for the treating-agent, a pipe lead ng from the main te saidreceptacle, a ccnstrlction of fixed area in said pipe, a bypasis around said constriction-and a valve in' receptacle back to the main at a point beyond the point of cennection of the first named pipe.

' JAY RUSSELL HICKOX.

' WILLIAM A. POWNALL. Witnesses to signature of Jay Russell Hickox:

' S. K. WARRICK,

G. G. HAMPTON. 4 Witnesses to signature of William' A. Pownallzr T. E. WO FE, O. W. STAIB. 

